Minor League baseball: Angry Hawks lose it in fifth and ninth

June 20, 2011|By CURT RALLO | South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND — Manager Mark Haley and the South Bend Silver Hawks get four days off for the Midwest League All-Star break. They may need that much time to cool off after Sunday’s minor-league battle against Bowling Green ended in turmoil and a 6-4 loss.

South Bend encountered a 1-2-3 inning of the wrong sort when Haley, hitting coach Bobby Smith and Silver Hawks shortstop Mike Freeman were all ejected in the fifth.

Then, after South Bend rallied for a 4-2 lead, a disputed call on a pitch thrown by Silver Hawks’ reliever Chris Odegaard on a 2-2 count to Cody Rogers with the bases loaded and two-out in the ninth gave Rogers a full count. He responded with a three-run double to give the Hot Rods their 6-4 lead.

Sunday’s game ended the first half of the Midwest League season. Bowling Green clinched a playoff berth and finished first in the Eastern Division with a 40-29 record. South Bend finished out of the playoff picture at 34-35.

Haley’s headache began in the fifth with South Bend trailing 2-1 but threatening. South Bend’s Ender Inciarte appeared to steal second, but was called out on batter’s interference against South Bend’s Freeman, who was out on strikes on the play.

As Freeman was walking to the dugout, he was tossed by home plate umpire Pat Hoberg. Hoberg gave Haley the boot seconds later. About the same time, Smith got tossed for comments he made to base umpire Gavin Hanson.

“I said with Mike’s type of swing, and who knows Mike’s swing better than I do, except our hitting coach, Bobby Smith, that he doesn’t fall across the plate,” Haley said of the interference call against Freeman. “He doesn’t do that. He’s not a dive hitter. We debated it.

“Mike thought it wasn’t interference, and he said that situation wasn’t right,” Haley said of the call involving Freeman. “He said a few words, but he didn’t direct it at the umpire. The umpire thought Mike directed it at him. That’s where I disagreed.

“If I thought my player did something wrong, I’d let him wear it,” Haley said. “But Mike Freeman has been around the game. He’s probably the most headsy player we’ve got. He’s very respectful. He’s been around the game, and he knows how far to go. If I feel my players are getting mistreated, I’m going to protect them.”

According to Haley, Smith was ejected for his comments to Hanson.

“Bobby said this could be one of the worst crews that we’ve had,” Haley said. “That got him kicked out. That’s being a little sensitive. That’s up for discussion. After three ball games and four ejections, you wonder what’s going on, if there’s an issue.”

South Bend rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to grab a 4-2 lead. Bowling Green pushed a run across in the ninth against reliever Blake Cooper, and Silver Hawks’ bullpen ace Chris Odegaard, who entered with a scoreless streak of 12.2 innings, faced a bases-loaded situation with two out and Rogers up.

After Hoberg called a ball on a 2-2 count on a pitch that Haley thought was a perfect strike, Rogers belted a bases-clearing double to put Bowling Green on top 6-4.

Haley, who watched the game from the press box after his ejection, fumed at the call on the 2-2 pitch by Odegaard.

“I saw what was going on,” Haley said. “We’re all professionals. Whatever happens, happens. But we come out here and expect a level of perfection, or at least try to get it as close as you can. I know we’re in the minor leagues, but that … I don’t know how you would explain it.

“There were definitely some missed calls,” Haley continued. “I don’t think that was a very well-called game, even after the ejection. Our guys made some good pitches. Let’s put it this way, if I had players who played (the way the umpires called the game), they’d have a long way to go before they reached their goal. That was a situation where, if that strike zone is going to be like that, whether I got ejected or not … it’s going to be a long ways to go before he (bases umpire Pat Hoberg) reaches his goal.’’

Inciarte finished with three hits for South Bend. Zach Walters contributed two hits, including a key double in the Hawks’ three-run eighth, and leaped to snare a vicious liner at third in the seventh inning for the defensive play of the game.